Spray painting pneumatic tanks

[Connor4336]

I have spray painted my 2 pneumatic tanks as for “non-functional decoration”. Looking through the manual, I see rule stating “ No modifications to electronic or pneumatic components are allowed. Motors (including the
internal PTC or V5 Smart Motor firmware), microcontrollers (including V5 Robot Brain firmware), cables,
sensors, controllers, battery packs, reservoirs, solenoids, pneumatic cylinders, and any other electrical
or pneumatics component of the VEX platform may NOT be altered from their original state in ANY way.”

Does spray painting my pneumatic tanks count towards altering the tank from its original state?

[CaptainMidnight2008]

Welcome to the forums! Since you are painting something a different color than it was to begin with, it would be considered altered from its original state.

[9MotorGang]

If I were in OP’s shoes, I would argue I have not altered the tank at all. I have simply covered it in a thin layer of nonfunctional paint.

[karmanyaahm]

We painted our Worlds robot’s tanks pink and the nuts black and had no problems last year FWIW.

[Connor4336]

Worlds was different than some regions where they are more strict on rules.

[shadow]

But then if worlds would be more strict in rules and they were allowed to paint their tank don’t you think you would be fine?

[kmmohn]

I’m not a fan of painting expensive parts that will be reused by future teams. I already have a controller that one of our teams decided to paint gold. Of course, there is always the risk that the event inspectors will have different interpretations about painted air tanks…then you could be stuck at an event/states/worlds without a legal robot.

My recommendation: get some removable contact paper: Amazon.com and use that. Here’s an FRC robot from the “steamworks” event a few years ago, and the air tanks are wrapped with copper foil. The team took an extra “foiled” air tank to inspection to prove to the inspectors that the tank was not modified in any way, but just decorated.

[RoboCatz]

@shadow

if worlds would be more strict in rules

So about that…